Curry College - Curryer Yearbook (Milton, MA)

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Speech presented to the Curry College Board of Trustees at a special meeting on September 17, 1987. Curry College, at its best, is one of the finest institutions in New England. We have the potential, but not the leadership. The leadership of our College may have had a dream, but that dream has faded. Fortunately, the students of Curry are not afraid to dream. We truly believe in the tradition of Dr. Samuel Silas Curry who said. Dare to do what you dream. Search your heart to know what you most desire to do; then do it, for you can become by perseverance what you long to be. We ' re here today to assure that our dreams become reality. In 1979, the students were promised growth in both image and revenue. To date, we have seen few of these promises realized. For past and present students of Curry College, this has proved to be of great frustration. Unfortunately, if a strike is to become unavoidable, it will ultimately be the students ' dream that we will see sacrificed. Last year saw a heightened awareness of our pitiful facilities both within the Curry Community and among the public at large. Curry had the dubious distinction of being cited by the Boston Globe Magazine as being the bad campus on the good site. First prize for major missed opportunity goes to Curry College in Milton, which placed relentlessly inept buildings on a wooded and hilly part of Massachusetts. This was echoed by the Accreditation Report of the past academic year. This is hardly the image that was promised to this school in 1979. This year we returned to face yet another crisis that threatens our dream. The one constant factor that has kept the dream alive, the faculty, has been jeopardized. They are being forced to choose between their commitment to teaching and an equitable salary. The students can easily empathize with the faculty ' s dilemma as we have been the victims of this administration stonewalling many times before. It is time for sacrifices to be made. Should it be the under paid faculty, the enduring student body, or is there another option? We are convinced that there is another option. This option involves the use of funds. We have proven that the funds have not been invested in the facilities. Obviously they have not gone to the faculty. Where are they? Take my advice, it ' s worth investigating. There is something seriously wrong when one administrator ' s expense account alone exceeds that of the starting salary of a faculty member. Over the last nine years, student tuition has increased 1 15% yet the students still live in shanty-town-like conditions while the President has two college vehicles at his personal disposal. This distribution of funds cannot be justified. Now is the time for change. A change in the facilities, a change in faculty working conditions, and most importantly, a change in leadership. With the proper leadership, this institution will be able to reach its full potential. By reaching for its potential and allowing old dreams to become realities, the students will be free to dare to dream new dreams. Michael F. Flaherty President, S.G.A.

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' MtUtryJ ■ LOWEST FACULTY TO STRIKE ' ? ' : ' Arriving on campus in the Fall of 1987. students were met with the threat of a strike. Faculty members still had not signed a contract for the upcoming year — in fact they had been without one since early summer. The faculty protested with picket signs and handed out informational flyers on opening day. Their job action, in the eyes of many, was justified. Their complaints and demands legitimate. Curry faculty salaries were the lowest of all salaries at comparable colleges in Massachusetts. The faculty were asking for a 7.5 percent increase which would put their salary in the si j m median range. Tuition at Curry, since 1979, had risen 1 15 percent, but faculty salaries had only risen 57.5 percent during the same period. Concurrently, there had been an increase in the use of part-time faculty, so that in the Spring of 1987. 59 percent of the courses were taught by part-time faculty. Despite increased enrollment and a tuition increase of 7 percent for the 87-88 academic year, the administration ' s offer on August . 1, was a 3 percent salary increase. On September 4. this was changed to 5 percent, which would still not change the faculty ' s status as poorly paid faculty. On September 10, however, the administration reduced its offer of a salary increase back to 3 percent. They refused the faculty ' s request of 7.5 percent, claiming that college had no money to pay them that amount. Students rallied in support of the faculty, even protesting a board of trustees meeting with their own picket signs, (see following pages and letter from the S.G.A. President) Through everything the faculty persevered. Following extensive negotiations, the faculty union and the administration did meet with an agreement, settling the dispute and ending the threat of a strike. The faculty received a three year contract and a 5 percent raise for now. In the next two years, it was agreed that faculty salaries would be increased to a range comparable with other small colleges in Massachusetts.

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m » ' ■ ' ? ' m. Students gather outside the Alumni PubHc Relations building in order to demonstrate theirsupport of the faculty at Curry. Meeting in the Alumni Conference Room was President Boyle and members of the board of trustees.